Love Songs: Ryelsi!
by Gindokei
Summary: 10 stories for love songs with Ryelsi! Part of RnBInspiresMe's Love Songs Challenge! Join Ryan and Kelsi through happiness and heartbreak and love and loss. Songfic no. 3 up! .:RxK:. DISCONTINUED.
1. Intro & Index

_Love Songs: Ryelsi_

**AN: Hi! So I'll be doing RnBInspiresMe's Love Songs Challenge on RYELSI! It happens to be my SECOND favourite pairing, apart from the ever-lovable Troyella (for me) :) This is just an intro/index sort of page, listing the songs I'm going to use and all that jazz.**

Firstly, I'm just going to put this here and it stands for the ENTIRE series of songfics: DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL.

Now, for the songs:

1. I'll Be – Edwin McCain

2. One Slow Dance – Simple Plan

3. At the Beginning – Donna Lewis and Richard Marx

4. It's Gonna Be Love – Mandy Moore

5. Nothing I've Ever Known – Bryan Adams

6. You – Switchfoot

7. Learning to Breathe – Switchfoot

8. Breaking Free – Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (HSM song 1)

9. I Can't Take My Eyes Off You – Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel (HSM song 2)

10. You Are the Music in Me – Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens (HSM song 3)

These are my songs! Mind you, they're not in the order that I'm going to post and write them in, they're just in the order I scribbled down in my notebook after checking my I-pod for love songs…

Anyways, these songfics are not related to each other whatsoever, they're not in chronological order, and I'll specify at the beginning of each one if HSM and/or HSM2 has taken place :)


	2. Nothing I've Ever Known

_Love Songs: Ryelsi_

**AN: Neither HSM or HSM2 have taken place!**

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**CHAPTER ONE: Nothing I've Ever Known by Bryan Adams

Ryan Evans leaned out of his bedroom window, his chin propped up on his flat palms with the fingers curled inwards and his elbows resting on the smooth marble windowsill. His blue-gray eyes traced the shape of a magnificent oak tree outside the house, a few yards from his very own bedroom window. Autumn had touched its leaves with scarlet and gold, and as he watched, the first leaf fluttered to the ground.

He smiled dreamily at the stray leaf as it twirled in the wind currents. His eyes were fixed on the scarlet leaf, but his mind was far, far away, in the music room of East High, where he had been not even half an hour ago. And something wonderful had happened there – so wonderful that he had walked all the way home, feeling like he was floating.

His thoughts had been in a mess since then – all he could think about was her. How her auburn hair gleamed in the rare instances that she took off her hat. How her brown eyes, flecked oh-so-faintly with green, had looked frustrated when he purposefully kept ruining the song they were practicing, just so he could spend more time with her. Finally, she had instructed him to sit down on the piano stool and had proceeded to sing the piece for him.

He hadn't thought it was possible for him to fall even more in love with her. But he had been wrong. Listening to her soft voice singing the romantic number he was supposed to be singing to Sharpay in the latest musical, he pictured her on the stage instead, her brown-green eyes wide as she listened to him sing perfectly for her.

Kelsi Nielsen was the girl of his affections - the introverted, quiet pianist of East High. Despite the fact that he and Sharpay went to her quite often to practice musical songs, they hadn't had much interaction. Kelsi preferred not to converse with the Evans twins, unless it was about a song they were working on – and never outside the music class. Ryan could see how cowed she was by Sharpay, and started to disapprove of his sister's harsh tone with Kelsi. But he hadn't actually fallen for her then. No, it had been a slow process, until he couldn't believe he hadn't been smitten with her earlier. But he longed for the times he wasn't awkward with her, always anxious to spend extra time with her. What if she suspected?

Ryan sighed as his eyes continued to follow the leaf, which was fast approaching the ground. Another almost inaudible sigh escaped him as it finally hit the ground, curving at the ends to form a cupped bowl shape. His gaze lifted from the fallen leaf and searched the distant horizon, as if hoping to see the school and the diminutive pianist still sitting at the grand piano, testing out a new song. His heart clenched suddenly, and he wondered why he suddenly felt so breathless thinking about her. It took him a moment to place the feeling – he was in love with Kelsi Nielsen.

He traced a pattern on the cold white windowsill, a dreamy smile spreading across his face again. He hadn't experienced anything like this before, and it made him wonder why he had waited so long to fall in love. But then again, surely love wasn't something you could choose to happen to you. It just… happened. He speculated if Kelsi felt the same way about him. How could she, considering how much she loathed Sharpay? Could she ever come to care for her tormenter's brother? He winced as he thought of how she must think of him – a cowardly lapdog, always trotting behind his sister.

It didn't matter, he decided. He'd wait for her.

He reluctantly pulled himself away from the window, finally realizing that East High wasn't in the direction of where his window faced. He sank onto his bed, flopping onto his back and fixing his gaze on the bright white ceiling. He wished the house wasn't so perfect and crack-free – he would have liked to trace out her face in cracks on his bedroom wall. Hadn't he read somewhere that that was what love struck youths did? He laughed silently to himself – Kelsi was on his mind so much, she was driving out all his sensible thoughts. He didn't mind – he liked the way his pulse quickened even as he mouthed her name to his ceiling.

He drew his hands together to lie on his stomach and played with them almost subconsciously. He'd always been Sharpay's poodle. As much as he hated the title, he didn't have any way of pulling free of it. He loved his sister, and felt that no one understood the person she was deep inside, but he didn't want to be her pet. For so long, he had wanted to break free of her and become himself. But he had finally admitted that he wasn't strong enough to be his own person. Maybe Kelsi was what he was looking for – someone who despised what he was now so much, she'd help him become what he really was.

The idea made him happy. He'd be Ryan Evans, not Sharpay's brother or 'the brother'. He'd be himself. He smiled at the ceiling and kicked his legs absently, almost like a little child. The thought of how Kelsi would feel to see the real Ryan Evans gave him strength. He could do this. He would do this, for her.

His eyes scoured his bedroom ceiling once more, and noticed, to his surprise, a solitary glow-in-the-dark star hovering right above where his pillow lay. He frowned slightly at it – he didn't recall putting up glow-in-the-dark anythings, ever. But soon his face relaxed into another smile. He liked the single star right above where he slept – it would be his guiding light. He made a mental note to look up that night, before he fell asleep, to see the star there. Almost instinctively, he saw Kelsi's brown-green eyes in the heart of the neon green star, looking down at him with gentleness. His heart thumped so loudly, he was sure Sharpay could hear it in the next room. But this feeling filled him with so much joy - it couldn't be wrong, could it? Ryan took his hands off his stomach and placed them behind his head, interlocking them and resting his neck on them. Maybe, tomorrow, he'd tell Kelsi how he felt. Or maybe he'd save it for another day.

**_Fin_**

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_AN: EDITED ON 9TH APRIL, 2009!  
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	3. One Slow Dance

_Love Songs: Ryelsi_

**AN: Both movies have already happened!**

**EDITED ON 9TH APRIL, 2009!  
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**CHAPTER TWO: One Slow Dance by Simple Plan

The winter dance had been highly anticipated by all seniors for months before winter had even arrived. Held on the last Friday before vacations, it was a formal affair – second in importance only to senior prom, at the end of the year. The decorating committee had chosen the theme of "moonlight magic" for this year's dance – the entire school grounds were drenched in moonlight, and the gym(which was the location of the actual dance) was softly lit by silver lights that created a shimmering effect. Only soft, romantic music was played. Ryan Evans, leaning against the wall closest to the gym door, wished with all of his heart that he didn't listen to his sister so often. It was simply embarrassing to be at such a romantic dance without a date. He fiddled with his fingers, glancing up every other moment. In one of these periodical peeks of everyone having fun, he was surprised to spot a familiar face, alone like him.

He traced her auburn curls with his eyes, stunned by her transformation. She wasn't wearing a hat today, for one – but then again, the student council had banned hats at school dances. Otherwise he too would have donned one. But besides that, her normally straight hair was evidently curled professionally and fell past her shoulders in soft waves. Her autumn orange dress was modest and actually had sleeves, unlike some of the outfits other girls were wearing – but they were gauzy, adding an almost ethereal air to her entire appearance. Her brown-green eyes were downcast, her wire-rimmed glasses had given way to a daintier golden pair and her hands were clasped. Ryan inhaled sharply, instinctively heading towards her; the girl of his dreams, the girl who was always in his thoughts these days. Kelsi Nielsen.

Kelsi looked up from her interlaced fingers to see Ryan Evans heading towards her. Something in her stomach fluttered madly as he approached her hesitantly, his eyes asking her permission. She smiled briefly and nodded, moving towards him as well. Her heart was thudding painfully in her chest as seeing Ryan brought up memories of Jason – Jason, who had decided she was better off as a friend and had broken it off with her just this afternoon. Tears pricked her eyelids but she refused to succumb to them, almost savagely pushing them back. She could see alarm in Ryan's eyes at her supposedly fierce expression and she softened her face, looking into his eyes and allowing a smile to curve across her face.

She saw him smile back and felt her heart stir slightly under its dull burden of hurt. She finally reached him and extended her hand for a handshake. Abruptly, though, she stepped forward to hug him at the last moment, relaxing into his embrace. She felt safe here. A slow song began to play, accompanied by faint strains of an electric guitar.

Ryan pressed his lips to her hair, squeezing her gently. "Hey Kels," he mumbled into her tresses, reveling in the sweet citrus-y smell that came from her. He pulled away gently to examine her at an arm's length, and noted the sadness she was trying to hide behind her smile. A puzzled frown flitted across his face – what had happened to her? She was shy by nature, an introvert, but she was always a positive person. He had never seen such immense sadness in anyone before. He tried to penetrate her shield of forced happiness and saw her flinch away, so he quickly averted his eyes.

Kelsi wrapped her arms around herself, smiling slightly at him. She hadn't liked the feeling his eyes had given her – like he was delving into her very mind, and she didn't want anyone to see her innermost thoughts. They consisted of angry, hateful things about Jason and a deep longing for someone else. She reached out to touch his shoulder, and his blue-gray eyes snapped back to hers. Her gaze asked an unspoken question.

Ryan offered his hand to her, bowing low. "May I have this dance?" he asked her softly, raising his head to study her brown-green eyes. She blushed lightly, placing her hand in his and nodding happily. He kissed her hand gently, pulling her closer to place his left hand at her waist, his right still clasping hers. His heart thumped excitedly, feeling her head rest on his left shoulder as her free hand crept to the other shoulder. The song's tempo increased minutely, but they continued to dance along slowly, simply enjoying each other's presence.

Kelsi lifted her head from its comfortable position on his shoulder to meet his intense gaze. She felt a shiver course down her spine, and it wasn't the unpleasant kind. She was unsettled by the depth of kindness in his eyes, and the warm glow of love that radiated from them. Goosebumps erupted on her skin, not only from the cold. Was it possible for him to feel so strongly for her? Kelsi Eden Nielsen?

Ryan guided her towards the exit of the gym. As she looked up at him in confusion, he had to suppress a smile – she looked so sweet and innocent with a bemused expression on her face. He lowered his mouth to whisper in her ear. "I think we should go take a walk on the beach," he murmured. She laughed softly. "Ryan, I don't think there's a beach for miles." She sounded amused. He shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "Not true. There's one just a short drive away. Actually it's a lakeside, but we can pretend, right?" She looked resignedly up at him and smiled. "All right…"

He led her to his car, courteously opening the door for her. She blushed again and thanked him, settling down comfortably. He grinned at her and took his place behind the wheel, noting how the horizon had lightened a shade. Dawn wasn't far off.

The lake was small, as lakes went, but it seemed perfect to his eyes. His secret love ever since their summer before senior year was with him, strolling along the moon-dappled lakeside, her eyes and his on the horizon as it steadily turned pink.

Kelsi slipped her hand into his, feeling inexplicably comforted by the warm dampness of his hand. She wondered at the 'damp' part – it was winter, why was Ryan sweating so profusely? But she shrugged it off, resting her head on his shoulder again as they gazed at the sun rising. Without warning, Ryan turned and grasped her hand again, and they started to sway by the lakeside, dancing to their own slow dance.

His eyes found hers again, and he saw the deep heartbreak in them. He sighed softly. "Kels… what happened? Is it something to do with Jason?" She started slightly, looking down at her feet. When no reply came from her, his suspicions were confirmed. His heart ached with sympathy. "Oh Kelsi…" he muttered, drawing her closer and placing his chin on her head. "It's okay. It's okay, don't you worry." She nodded as tears coursed down her cheeks.

She wept quietly into his smooth black blazer, clutching him and pulling him closer and closer, as if afraid he would fly away if she released her grip. "He meant so much to me, Ryan," she cried softly, her eyes closed as sobs wracked her body. "But he didn't want me." She heard him whisper comfortingly – "Don't be silly, Kels. He loves you as a friend, you know that. He's just… just… Sssh, sssh…" She pulled away gently, her gaze suddenly passionate in the dawn light. "Or maybe," she started slowly, "he knew I felt something stronger… for someone else."

She saw him narrow his eyes incredulously. She closed the gap between them again and tilted her face upwards, her starry eyes meeting his. "For you," she whispered, hesitantly wrapping her arms around his neck. He placed his hands at her waist and leaned in to kiss her. As their lips met, their bodies started to sway to a distant melody.

_**Fin**_

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****AN: I didn't like this one much :/ But I LOVE this song! So I dunno, you guys tell me?**


	4. You Are the Music in Me

_Love Songs: Ryelsi_

**AN: Both movies have happened!**

**EDITED ON 9TH APRIL, 2009!  
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**CHAPTER THREE: You Are the Music in Me by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens

Ryan Evans stopped abruptly outside the music room. He would have recognized her voice anywhere. But it was the song that she was singing that really piqued his interest. Brushing a stray strand of blond hair out of his eyes, he cautiously pulled open the door and was greeted by the sight of a demure, auburn-haired girl seated at a piano, her fingers pressing down on its ivory keys as she softly sang.

He coughed quietly, hoping she would hear him over the chords she was playing. She did; her sudden pause in playing and the flaming of her cheeks was a clear signal. He laughed and strolled over, seating himself on a plastic chair. "Isn't that the song you wrote for Troy and Gabriella last summer?" he asked curiously, studying the music sheets sitting in front of her. Kelsi Nielsen fidgeted with her folder of music as she tried to think of an answer that would not make him laugh again – although she did love his laugh.

"They never sang it at the talent show, though, remember?" she eventually replied timidly. "I just found it tucked away here and decided to try it out again." A wistful look appeared in her brown-green eyes. "It's a beautiful song. It fits them so well." A quiet sigh escaped her. She felt Ryan's gray eyes on her and hurriedly averted her gaze, feeling her cheeks redden even more. He always seemed to have this sort of an effect on her. Ever since their Lava Springs summer, she had admired him from afar. The courage it had taken for him to stand up to his sister and help her 'sworn' enemy, Gabriella, was something she wished she had. Of course, everyone knew that Ryan was still secretly in love with Gabriella.

Wasn't he?

Ryan reached for the sheet, reading the lyrics in Kelsi's neat, loopy cursive. He let his finger graze over the word 'dream', inwardly wondering what would happen if he dared to dream. Dared to dream that he could ever have the affections of the meek pianist sitting next to him, on a worn wooden piano stool, with her round wire-rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose and her newsboy hat pulled down to cast the upper half of her face into darkness. He shook away his thoughts and smiled brightly at her. "I never heard all of it… could you play it for me?" She shot him a startled look and hesitantly played another chord. Ryan recognized where she was playing from, and began to sing along with her notes.

Kelsi abruptly stopped playing again, feeling the tips of her ears heat up with embarrassment. She glanced up at Ryan's face, expecting to see an amused smile, but was instead met by his concerned gaze. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I hope you didn't mind me singing. It really is a lovely song."

She tried to gather words to form a coherent sentence. "No," she heard herself saying. "No, it's okay." Shyly, her eyes still meeting his, she added, "You have a great singing voice." She felt herself flush with pleasure as he beamed at her.

"Why thank you," he grinned, nudging her left hand. "Will you sing with me?"

She didn't reply; she merely began to play again, and once he started singing, she added her voice to his.

He moved from the plastic chair, taking a seat next to her on the piano stool, mentally thanking the heavens that it was a broad, elongated seat. Whoever designed piano stools in this way should get a medal, he thought as she picked up the tempo in the song. Ryan rested his chin on her shoulder to survey the words once more, noticing how she paused for a moment and then started again. His arms were still placed on the cushioned surface of the seat as he lowered his voice so that he didn't deafen her, feeling a sudden pang of nervousness shake him.

Kelsi winced when he placed his chin on the ticklish part of her shoulder, but decided to bear it. Something about his smell, though, was doing something to her insides – they were somersaulting and writhing like a nest of snakes. Somehow, it wasn't an uncomfortable feeling – in fact, she rather liked it. It was a new, different feeling. She knew that no matter what happened today, this song would always be her favourite.

Ryan was sure he startled her when he took her hand from the piano and pulled her up. He could see her eyes widen and flash with confusion. He silently laughed at her adorably bewildered expression, and fought against the urge to lean down and kiss her. Instead, he twirled her gently as he continued to sing, smiling encouragingly at her. She too matched him note for note, and he strained to hear her soft, musical voice singing to him.

Kelsi laughed softly, interlacing her fingers with his as she placed a hand on his shoulder. They waltzed around the room, Ryan making sure that they spun often. She was beginning to feel pleasantly dizzy, and leaned slightly against him for support. His free hand had found its way to her waist, and the hand clasping hers was warm and comforting. She marveled at the sheer size of his hands – how was it possible for someone to be so big? Her hands looked like those of a child, compared to an adult's. But suddenly, she didn't care about his hands being big or her hands being small. There was just them, and the music.

Ryan felt the reassuring smile slide off his face as he looked at her. His eyes were suddenly lost in the sea of her gaze, and he felt helpless as she looked steadily back. Words refused to come out of his mouth, but Kelsi didn't stop singing. In that heartbeat that his eyes were trapped with hers, he felt like she was reading his very soul – that she saw the real Ryan, the Ryan who wanted to study medicine and become a doctor. Not the Ryan who followed his sister around like a faithful pet and always had to pretend to be dumb, because Sharpay couldn't stand anyone being smarter than her. And in a sudden flash of insight, Ryan knew that Kelsi was afraid – she was afraid of feeling so strongly for someone. But she did – she loved him.

Kelsi broke their eye contact, pulling her hands away from his. She felt violated and naked; his intense gaze had stripped her of everything, and bared the truth to him. In his eyes she had seen a lifetime of love for someone – a someone she had thought was Gabriella, until then. Until she had seen herself in his eyes, and known that he lovedher. And she was sure he had somehow seen past her and delved into her very soul, to see the truths she wanted so desperately to hide. Because love wasn't like the plays and the movies and the books – love was real, and love hurt.

He took her hand, and felt her flinch. Ryan sighed softly, wanting to draw her gaze towards him. "Kels?" he spoke quietly, and saw her eyes dart up to his face. "Kels, what's wrong?" He rubbed her hand between both of his, suddenly aware of how clammy it had become. "You can tell me. Please." He tried to bring her out of her stupor by singing a stanza from her song, but her gaze remained vacant and fixed on something just beyond his shoulder.

"Ryan." Her voice was still soft, but there was an element of harshness he had never heard in it before. "Ryan. Please… please don't be…" Tears were gathering in her round eyes. Her glasses slipped from her nose and clattered to the floor, but neither of them took any notice. Ryan gazed into her eyes and tried to decipher what she was trying to say, but for the first time, he failed to read her. "I'm sorry," she murmured, slumping forward into his arms. "I'm sorry." He managed to catch a faint melody from her before her body jerked spasmodically.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear, not sure if she could still hear him.

He sat outside in the hallway, lit by bright fluorescent lights, and knew she wasn't coming back out. A nurse had explained everything to him after Kelsi had been admitted into the hospital – Kelsi had had a heart problem for years, and had always known that it was highly unlikely for her to live past the age of eighteen. When he heard the white-clad woman speak, he felt like wailing in frustration. Why hadn't Kelsi told him? He would have confessed to her so much earlier – they could have had years…

He clenched his hands into fists as he heard a low moan of disbelief come from behind the closed door – Mrs. Nielsen, he thought dully. She was gone. He bit down savagely on his knuckles as tears obscured his vision, blurring everything around him. She was gone. The words pounded in his head, in his heart, throughout his body. She wasn't coming back.

He tried to comfort the inconsolable Mrs. Nielsen as he drove her home, but could scarcely come up with words to comfort himself. At least you knew, he thought angrily. At least you were always preparing yourself for this. I didn't even know. What am I supposed to tell the gang? He drove back home in silence, trying his hardest to hate the petite pianist for keeping such a massive secret from her friends, but not succeeding.

He lay on his bed that night, tears rushing to his eyes again. He clutched his pillow close to muffle the sobs that spilled out of him at an alarming rate. He didn't want to worry his mother, or summon Sharpay – she was always irate when woken from her 'beauty sleep'. Neither of them would have any pity for the girl he had loved. He frowned, immediately rearranging his thoughts. No, for the girl he loved. He would never stop loving her.

As if from far away, he heard the last lines of 'You Are the Music in Me'. He closed his eyes, knowing that Kelsi was still watching him and would always live on – as the music that would forever be in his heart.

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**_**AN: What did you guys think? Was it okay? I wanted to try a slightly tragic spin on this oneshot. Did it come out all right? Hopefully, I'll have updated It's the Real Thing by tomorrow!**


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